The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1887-09-03
"THE YOUNG LADY"
Tho Story Told by Railway En-
gineer.


crested II long gradual grade. you're
atop Of the Rocky mountains now
ma ma.
Emily Vaughn looked TO left and 10
right, and was conscious Of II feeling
Of disappointment. She had pictured
the top Of the Rocky mountains a.
some thing quite different from this.
Here were no frowning heights or sud-
den gulfs, only widc-roling plateau.
GONE distant peaks which did not
look very high. aud far ahead n
glimpse Of lower levels running down
into plains. II seemed hardly worth
while To have come 50 far for so little.
"Rcallyw she said, "But where
are the moun,ainP They don't look
nearly so high as they did ycstcrdayW
NATURALLY, mama" responded the
engineer; things don't appear so
high when you're as high as they are.
We're atop, you know
'But there's no look of, no won
dcrful distance, as from the top Of
Mt. Washington. | confess am dis
appointed.
"lt's kind Of queer. "said John Scott,
with "a dry chucklc. chow folks from
the East keep alludin' to that ere hill
as if it were tho standard of measure
mcnt. We don't think of it So much
this way. Why, ma am, you're about
two thousand feet higher this minute
than if you was at the top of that little
shuck Of Mt. Washington that they
all think SO much Of
Miss Vaughn smiled. but she expert
cnccd shock nevertheless The New
England mind does not accustom itself
To hearing its sacred mountain thus
lightly spoken against 'lIaye you
ever seen Mt Washington" she asked.
"Oh. bless you. ycsr exclaimed John
Scott chcerfully. II was raised over
10 Fryosburg. and grew up alongside
of il. thought it was big concern
when | was boy, but now -" lie
closed the sentence with short ex-
prcssivc laugh,
Miss Vaughn, ch anged the subject.
She was not offended. She had grown
To like this rough, good-naturcd en-
ginecr in The course of the three days
Journey. during which. favored rs
relative of one of the directors. she had
been privileged TO ride. rs now, in the
engineers cab for better view of the
country
"lIavc you been long on this roadP'
she asked.
Pretty near ever since 1t opened. l
run the third through train that came
ont from Chicago. and havcn't boon off
the line since, winter or summer cx-
ccpt for three months when | was laid
up with broken leg"
E This must look very different in
winter said Miss Vaughn. noting the
trcclcsS distances. and the SHOWS still
glinting on the higher peaks on tho
left.
"You may bclicvc it docs' That first
year. when the snow-shcds wasn't
built il was terrible Twas running
that tram that stuck in the snow seven
days. perhaps you'll remember about
it; it was in all the papers. sha'n't
ever forget that. not il live To be rs
old as my grandfather, and he didn't
die till he was ninety odd"
Tell me about it, said Miss
Vaughn. pcrsuasiycly, seating herself
on the high side bench Of the cab, with
that air of attention which is SO cntic-
ing to the story-tollcr; amuScmcnts are
few and far between in the long monot-
ony of the overland journey to Califor-
mia; besides which, Miss Vaughn dear
ly loved story.
There amt much to tell. :" said John
Scott, with something of the feel
ing which prompts the young vo-
calist to complain of hoarseness. IL
amt any hand at telling things,
either" Then, won by Miss Naughn's
appealing ewes, he continucdt
1--WE ran all fair and on time till we
was about two hundred miles beyond
Omaha. Then the snow began. 1t
didn't seem much at first. The
womau-folk in the train rather liked
it. They all crowded To the windows
To see. and the children hurrahcd.
ANY thing seemed pleasant change
after the sagc-brush, suppose But
rs 1t went on coming. and the drifts
grew deep. aud the ears had to run
slow. the older ones began 10 look seri-
Gus, and | can tell YOU that we who had
charge of the train felt so.
I'VE was just between two of the
feeding stations, and we put on all the
steam we could, hoping to push through
to where provisions could be got at in
case we had to stop. But IL wasn't no
use. The snow kept coming never
see il como So. The flakes looked as
big as saucers. and the drifts piled so
thick that when we finally stuck.
in about ten minutes no one
could see out Of the windows.
The train would have been clear
buried over IL the brakemcn and the
porters hadn't gone the whole length
over the roofs every half-hour aud
swept Il of with brooms and show
els. We had lot Of shovcls abroad.
by good luck. OF else nothing could
have saved us from being banked up